ABSTRACT

Edwin S. Shneidman is recognized as the central figure in the field of suicidology. His writings have taught countless psychologists and other health professionals about the complexity of suicide, death and bereavement.

This collection of his writings spans the entirety of his career and offers a unique insight into the development of his thinking. The material is broken down into five parts: Psychological Assessment, Logic, Melville and Murray, Suicide, and Death and each section includes an introduction by the editor.

Lives and Deaths is a vital resource for those in suicidology and related fields, allowing the reader to sample a variety of selections from Shneidman's work in one compact volume. The book is ideal for classroom use by upper level undergraduates and graduate students in the history of suicidology or as a supplemental text in a general suicidology course. It is also of interest to clinicians treating high-risk patients as well as a more general audience including psychologists, social workers, crisis counselors and suicide prevention specialists.

part I|46 pages

Psychological Assessment

part II|54 pages

Logic

chapter Chapter 5|23 pages

The Logic of Politics

chapter Chapter 6|5 pages

On “Therefore I Must Kill Myself”

part IV|96 pages

Suicide: Section A: Definitional and Theoretical

chapter Chapter 13|10 pages

A Formal Definition, with Explication

chapter Chapter 14|12 pages

Suicide on My Mind, Britannica on My Table

chapter Chapter 15|22 pages

Suicide

chapter Chapter 17|16 pages

A Conspectus of the Suicidal Scenario

chapter Chapter 18|6 pages

Suicide as Psychache

part IV|66 pages

Suicide: Section B: Suicide Notes

part IV|32 pages

Suicide: Section C: Administrative and Programmatic

part IV|42 pages

Suicide: section D: Clinical and Community

part IV|72 pages

Suicide: Section E: Psychological Autopsy and Postvention

chapter Chapter 30|24 pages

The Psychological Autopsy

chapter Chapter 31|4 pages

Comment: The Psychological Autopsy

chapter Chapter 33|13 pages

Postvention: The Care of the Bereaved